Jim Morningstar - Break Through with Breathwork: Jump-Starting Personal Growth in Counseling and the Healing Arts

Copyright 2017 by Transformations Incorporated and Jim Morningstar, PhD. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the written permission of the publisher. For information contact North Atlantic Books.

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North Atlantic Books

Berkeley, California

Cover photo iStockphoto.com/isurasaki

Cover design by Nicole Hayward

Book design by Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Printed in the United States of America

Break Through with Breathwork: Jump-Starting Personal Growth in Counseling and the Healing Arts is sponsored and published by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences (dba North Atlantic Books), an educational nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, that collaborates with partners to develop cross-cultural perspectives, nurture holistic views of art, science, the humanities, and healing, and seed personal and global transformation by publishing work on the relationship of body, spirit, and nature.

Photographs in Chapter Five were originally published in Spiritual Psychology (1980), Transformations Incorporated; copyright Jim Morningstar. Reprinted with permission.
Illustrations in Chapter Three by Clare W. Graves; previously published in Spiritual Psychology (1980), Transformations Incorporated; copyright Jim Morningstar. Reprinted with permission.
Illustrations in Chapter Five by Emma Cofod.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The following information is intended for general information purposes only. Individuals should always see their health-care provider before administering any suggestions made in this book. Any application of the material set forth in the following pages is at the readers discretion and is his or her sole responsibility.

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Jim Morningstar has written a heartfelt masterwork of breath-centered therapeutic support. He draws on an expansive knowledge of multicultural breath practices throughout history and many years of his own deep personal work and professional practice. The result is a valuable contribution at the growing edge of modern therapy, and a revolutionary blueprint combining mind/body healing and the latest findings in brain research.

Tav Sparks, author of The Power Within: Becoming, Being, and the Holotropic Paradigm and director of Grof Transpersonal Training

Jim Morningstar is a wise and visionary healer, who knows the ways of the body and the heart. His work opens from trauma to well-being, from past to radiant present.

Jack Kornfield, Buddhist teacher and author of The Roots of Buddhist Psychology

A profound and comprehensive book based on extensive experience as therapist and trainer, including new scientific research and informative models from biology and sociology, thus underlining the central role of conscious breathing in daily life and healing work. A must-read for therapists in any area of personal development and healthcare.

Dr. Wilfried Ehrmann, international trainer in integrative breathwork and author of Manual of Breath Therapy and Coherent Breathing: Aligning Breath and Heart

Dr. Jim Morningstar is one of the real pioneers in breathwork. In his new book he offers a good illustration of how Therapeutic Breathwork represents a new form of interactive healing that benefits both client and therapist. With its comprehensive theory and overview of breathwork, it is an essential contribution to breathwork as a whole.

Gunnel Minett, psychologist and author of Exhale: An Overview of Breathwork and How to Grow a Healthy Mind

A pioneer in breathwork and energetics, Jim Morningstar inspires the respect and admiration of practitioners in the field. His work with integrative techniques and his insights have encouraged my personal and professional growth.

Dr. Belisa Vranich, clinical psychologist, media personality, and author of Breathe

Throughout Break Through with Breathwork, Jim Morningstar presents actual case studies that add a wonderful human touch, as well as an explanation based on neuroscience for the changes that he has seen in clients during his experience as a breathwork practitioner. This book is one of the few of its kind that demonstrates the safe and effective usage of faster than normal breathing in professional practice. Break Through with Breathwork should be read by anyone interested in evolving modern counseling techniques to keep pace with the growing need to help people face the challenges of life today. Both professionals and nonprofessionals alike will be struck by Jim Morningstars clarity, involvement, and attention to detail, which is such an integral part of healing. A must-read! I highly recommend it.

Shirley Telles, MBBS, MPhil, PhD (neurophysiology), DSc (yoga), director of Patanjali Research Foundation in Haridwar, India

Jim Morningstar was one of the first therapists in America to understand and explore the connection between mind, body, breath, and emotions. His approach, called Therapeutic Breathwork, has proven to be extremely effective in the field of trauma recovery, especially in cases where prescription medications and talk therapy have failed. His model of the six major breathing patterns and their link to basic body themes is truly unique and nothing short of brilliant. This chapter alone makes his newest book Break Through with Breathwork a must-read for every breathworker and all healthcare practitioners. And it offers invaluable support and genuine inspiration to all of us on the path of personal growth and spiritual development.

Dan Brul, author of Just Breathe: Master Breathwork for Success in Life, Love, Business and Beyond

In the coming years we are going to see a greater focus on the use of breathing to bring about healing in counseling and clinical mental health practice. Jims extensive personal and professional experience of breathwork places him in an ideal position to introduce breathwork to those new to these practices. And for the more experienced practitioner this book provides plenty of stimuli for further personal integration and professional growth.

Lloyd Lalande, PhD, clinical breathwork researcher and trainer and lecturer in clinical mental health counseling

Jim Morningstar walks the talk and breathes the breath. He is a leading figure in breathwork today. If you aspire to use breathwork in counseling, this breakthrough book is your resource.

Dr. Joy Mann, author of Soul Therapy and Family Constellations

Jim has created a wonderful guide to help empower practitioners from all walks to add breathwork to their toolbox. This type of breathing breaks through old, no longer useful patterns while helping the practitioner and client create a healthy new vibrant way of life. Jim instills the confidence and knowledge to begin this great life adventure of breathwork personally and professionally.

Lauren Cafritz, breath facilitator, lecturer, and teacher